Drink,Temperance and Abstinence in Ireland

Abstract

The article describes the myth and reality of drink and temperance patterns in Ireland from the early 19th century to the present. Tracing the origin of the stereotypical “drunken Irishman” to political, largely British, propaganda of the 19th century, the author questions the basis of such an image. He also suggests that the Irish themselves have fallen victim to the stereotype: Irish emigrants often try to live up to the heavy drinking expectations of foreigners. As a matter of fact, the temperance movements — beginning with Fr. Mathews organization in the 1820s and culminating with the foundation of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association, P.T.A.A. in 1898 — have been, by any standard, phenomenally successful, and remain today a significant force in Irish society.